2023 Goals

Now that January is over, I have narrowed down what I want to focus on for the year of 2023 (even though it was pretty unnecessary to wait until January was over because it's pretty much the same as last year, lol). I don't say "resolutions" because honestly my priority each year is to survive, and I'm not trying to force myself into anything. Circumstances change, and I want to adjust my expectations for myself based on those circumstances. 

WRITING GOALS

I'm not going to lie, I've been in a major writing slump since the fall. I have a few ongoing writing projects that have received few updates--not because I'm out of ideas, but because I am struggling to write something I am satisfied with. I know what I want the next section of each project to feel like, but the product of writing sessions just doesn't measure up to my intention. And for me, pushing myself to write when it's not working hinders my progress more than helps it along--forcing it makes writing feel like a chore, and I've learned over the years that turning a fun hobby into a chore is not going to produce anything satisfactory. So, my goal this year is to keep writing, experiment more while writing, and finish the next phase of the ongoing project(s)--although it would be great if I could pleasantly surprise myself and finish them entirely! 

READING GOALS 

This past December, I experienced the opposite of a reading slump. Up until then I'd been pretty good about reading one thing every month, but December hit and suddenly I just wanted to read and read and read. I ended up finishing 12 books and 5 plays as well as hundreds of short fiction pieces authored by the writing group I'm a part of, exceeding my goal of reading 12 books or plays. Admittedly, this was a tiny goal, especially compared to some people, but I had a bit of a reading slump in 2020 and 2021, so I still count it as a win. 

This year, I'd like to double that number if I can, although honestly I'll be happy if I can just maintain it. Luckily I've still been in a reading non-slump (surge? binge?) through January--I've read five books so far and plan to start my sixth one right away. Some helpful actions in working to achieve this goal has been 1) borrowing books from the library, which encourages me to read them at a certain pace so I can return them before they are due, and 2) reading the same books as my sister/roommate so we can talk about them--as we can only discuss our opinions if I've also read it! Granted, there are books I've read and/or hope to read this year that aren't from the library and are not books Alex is interested in reading, so I wouldn't say I have a full-proof plan; but it certainly helps keep the momentum going. 

ACTING GOALS 

To be honest, I've been feeling extremely insecure about my acting skills lately. Not because of not getting cast in 2022, since I have had many years of that experience and gotten used to it. I guess it is because I have become more aware of where I need to grow as an actor and what bad habits I've allowed to fester over time, but so far attempts to experiment or grow or fix those things just haven't been working. Navigating this while in a pandemic has been difficult also--advice like "take classes" or "audition more" isn't the most helpful when most venues are rolling back their COVID requirements or eliminating them entirely. I would like to audition at least 2-4 times this year and hopefully perform at least once, but I guess we'll have to see. 

PERSONAL GOALS

I'm just going to list these here:

• Complete two Shine classes this year (I've purchased them already, so I'm halfway there to achieving this)
• Initiate more contact with friends, especially ones who live far away
• Be a better employee at both of my jobs
• Walk 4+ miles a day, 6 days a week 
• Continue to post a blog post once a month (or more)
• Try new foods 
• Research and implement new ways to live more sustainably 
• Try dating again (if COVID safety measures allow)